Sacrifice
by Oroboro2
Summary: Save the girl. Or save the town. Either way, a sacrifice had to be made. How was Max supposed to live with either outcome? There had to be a third option.


Max came to her senses as her camera clicked, and the photo of that damned blue butterfly started to print.

This was it. She had made her decision. Chloe had made her decision. All she had to do was wait and do nothing.

All she had to do was let Chloe die.

It wasn't fair. Why did she have these powers in the first place? Why did everything have to come down to such a sadistic choice? Was it all orchestrated by some higher power, who was just sitting back and laughing at her misfortune?

Was this really what she was meant to do? It was clear at this point that there had to be some sort of sacrifice. Chloe, or Arcadia Bay. As much as she loved Chloe, as much as she just wanted a happy life together with that beautiful blue haired rocker, there was no way she could justify sacrificing the entirety of the town for her. All of those lives destroyed. There was no way either of them would be able to live with the guilt.

There would be no happy ending.

Max heard the door to the bathroom open, and Nathan began muttering to himself. It was his fault, technically. He was the one who was about to murder Chloe, after all. But all Max could see was herself in his place, pulling the trigger with her own hands.

It wasn't fair. There had to be another way. A third option. A way to save everyone. A glorious, golden truth that would lead to a happy future.

Together with Chloe. Together with her friends.

But life wasn't that simple. The universe demanded a sacrifice.

Unless…

Max's heart pounded in her chest as she heard Chloe enter the room and start arguing with Nathan. It was only a few seconds away now. The idea that wormed into her head tugged at her heart. It was insane. There was no guarantee it would even work.

But if there was a chance, she had to try, right?

Nathan was getting agitated. It was now or never.

Max jumped around the corner and shouted, "Hey, leave her alone!"

Nathan reacted just as she expected he would. He spun, startled, gun raised. His finger clenched on the trigger.

It all happened in painfully slow motion. She could see the muzzle flash, and the tiny projectile creeping towards her, ready to spill her lifesblood across the tiled floor of the girl's bathroom.

She could have easily raised her hand and used her rewind once again.

If Max was the one who had caused all of the trouble, then her own sacrifice should still count, right?

Pain lanced through her as the bullet impacted, and she slumped to the floor. Chloe screamed. Nathan started freaking out. There was a scuffle, the sound of the gun clattering to the floor, cursing, and the sound of Nathan fleeing the scene.

Max's breathing came in ragged breaths. She held her hand to her stomach, watching red seep through her fingers. It hurt, but it wasn't nearly as bad as she had been afraid it would be.

Chloe came rushing over to her. "Holy shit, are you—Max!? Oh my god, what are… why are you…"

"Hey Chloe," Max said, her voice distant to her own ears. She could feel blood trickling down her chin. She wasn't sure if it was from her mouth or another nosebleed. "Long time no see."

"No, no, no, not you! Not like this!" Chloe pulled at her hat, looking around frantically. "Fuck, I've got to call an ambulance!"

Max raised her hand, to protest, to stop her. It wasn't going to matter, after all. Her vision was already getting dimmer.

"Please, you've got to help me, my friend has been shot! Yes, with a gun! Uh, Blackwell academy. I don't know, the fucking main building, in the girl's bathroom! Hurry!"

Chloe was on top of her then, hands pressed against Max's wound, putting pressure on it. "Max? Max, look at me! I'm here for you, okay? It's going to be okay. help is coming soon. Don't you dare fucking die on me! Not after all this time…"

"Chloe…" Max lifted her hand. It felt like there was a hundred pounds of extra weight attached to her limbs, but she lightly cupped Chloe's cheek, smearing blood on it in the process. "Please, listen to me, okay? It's going to sound crazy, but please. Just listen to me."

Chloe squeezed her eyes shut, tears falling down her face. She sniffed, then nodded.

"I've been through so much this past week. There's no way you'll ever really know, but everything we went through together… long story short, time travel was involved. It all comes back down to this moment. I love you, Chloe. I want us to be happy together, but I don't think that's possible… so instead, I'm taking this bullet for you."

"M-max…" Chloed sniffed again, and shook her head. "What the hell are you talking about? That's insane. You can't just expect me too… Max!"

Max started coughing. She could barely see anymore. The photograph burns of this alternate reality were beginning to bleed away. "Chloe, please… just promise me, that you're going to live, alright?"

"Don't stay stuff like that. I can already hear the ambulance. You're going to be fine!"

"...Max?"

* * *

Chloe wiped at her eyes as the pallbearers carried the coffin past them. Her mother sobbed next to her and even her step-dou—David could barely hold back his tears.

It seemed like the entirety of Blackwall Academy had come to show her off. Chloe had no idea that she was so beloved by all the faculty and students. A small, selfish part of her wished she could just have this moment all to herself. She was her best friend, after all. But those were just the silly rantings of a jealous little girl.

It wasn't fair. How long had she dreamed of their reunion together, and it had to happen like this?

The preacher was saying something at this point. Chloe wasn't listening. The casket was lowered. People began to move, tossing flowers down. One of those odd rituals for the dead meant to comfort the living.

Chloe looked up. Out of the corner of her eye she thought she caught some movement, like a large animal darting into the forest.

She still had to do her part.

Chloe stepped up, and dropped her flower into the earth. "I'm sorry, Rachel. I love you, you know that? I wish we could have spent more time together. I wish you could have met Max. She would have liked you."

* * *

Chloe managed to keep it together all the way back to the hospital, until she pushed open the door to room two eleven.

Max looked up from the hospital bed, a little more color in her cheeks than before. "Hey. Sorry I couldn't be with you. How'd it go?"

Chloe was on top of her in an instant, bawling, sobbing like a little girl.

"Ow, watch it!" Max grunted. "Careful, I did get shot, you know."

"Sorry," Chloe mumbled, snot running down her face inelegantly.

Max ran her fingers through Chloe's hair. "Sssh, it's okay.

"For once, I think everything's going to be alright."


End file.
